The Govt. of Australia’s new population plan for attracting migrants to regional areas will accelerate visa processing. However, it will be tough on visa holders relocating to other areas.

Migrants who move to regional areas under this plan will need to stay at the designated places. In case they relocate, they could have their visas cancelled. They also risk being deported from Australia.

The Australian Govt. recently announced a $19.4 million plan for decongesting major cities in Australia. Under this plan, migrants who are willing to live in regional areas will have their visas prioritized. However, migrants who relocate before getting their PR will have their visas cancelled.

As per David Coleman, Immigration Minister, the migrants have received a visa to work in the regional areas. The visa is linked to that specific area and hence the migrant cannot go and work someplace else.

Mr Coleman said that the new plan is meant to encourage migrants to settle in areas which are facing a labour shortage. He also said that the Australian Govt. is trying to pump more resources into Regional Visa processing. The shorter processing time is meant to encourage people to move to regional areas.

Mr Coleman also said that currently, the Govt. is focussing on settling migrants in regional areas. The DAMA (Designated Area Migration Agreement) may be introduced in different regional areas dealing with a workforce shortage.

Currently, cities like Melbourne and Sydney are reeling under congestion. On the other hand, many areas in Australia are crying out for more skilled workers. The new plan aims to better align the migrant distribution, as per Mr Coleman.

A revised DAMA has recently been signed by the Australian Govt. for Northern Territory. A similar agreement has also been announced for Victoria’s Great South Coast region, as per SBS News.

The Australian Govt. is currently discussing a new DAMA for the Orana region in NSW and Cairns in Queensland.

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